Book Title: Miya's Mooncakes by Crystal Z. Lee
Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 40 pages
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Balestier Press
Publication Date: June, 2026.
Tour dates: Sep 8 to Sep 28
Content Rating:G
It's almost time for Miya's favorite holiday, the Mid-Autumn Festival. She loves all the holiday traditions: moon gazing, lighting lanterns, and best of all, baking and eating mooncakes! Miya notices that many in her town seem to have lost the holiday spirit lately, including those in her school and in her family. Miya has an idea to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in a more meaningful manner this year. It will involve some extra special mooncakes and the entire neighborhood. Can Miya pull it off in time for the festival?
This is a story of ingenuity, empathy, creating new traditions while honoring old ones. It's also an ode to neighbors, immigrants, and all those that make up a community!
Crystal Z. Lee is a writer who divides her time between the U.S. and Asia. She is an avid traveler. Her favorite travel memories include island hopping in Italy, hiking the Ever White Mountain near the border of North Korea, sipping afternoon tea in Portuguese palaces and Irish castles, admiring Peranakan tiles in Singapore, sailing in the Aegean Sea, trekking on a biblical archaeological expedition in Türkiye, voyaging to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and making mooncakes and pineapple cakes in Taiwan. Her stories are often inspired by her journeys. Besides children's books, Crystal's other published works consist of poetry and a novel. She is also the author of Pei's Pineapple Cakes, Mei's Mermaid Mission, Kai the Dancing Butterfly, A Unicorn Named Rin, and Love and Other Moods.
Interview:
-What sort of lessons or values can the
story in Miya’s Mooncakes impart?
This is a story of empathy, kindness and courage. It’s
also an ode to neighbors, immigrants, and all those that make up a community.
At a time when it seems like the world is becoming more and more divisive, I hope
we can help our children realize that we’re all more alike than not. I wrote this
story to spark a discussion surrounding these topics.
-Miya’s Mooncakes is a story
about the Mid-Autumn Festival. Were you inspired by your own family traditionsof
celebrating this holiday when writing this book?
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a big holiday in our
household. Growing up in Taiwan, I have fond memories of learning the holiday
legends, making lanterns at school, tasting and exchanging mooncakes with
relatives and friends. It’s a huge celebration among the Chinese diaspora.
-Are your two children's books about Asian
pastries (Miya’s Mooncakes and Pei’s Pineapple Cakes) related to
each other?
They are completely different stories but if you
look closely at the illustrations, you will find some parallels. For example, the
grandmother is the same person in both booksso Miya and Pei are actually
cousins!There are Taiwanese elements in both stories as well.
-What makes Miya’sMooncakes stand out
among the myriad of children's food books?
This is an “own voices” book. It’s also not a purely
food-centric story. Miya is on a mission to make this Mid-Autumn Festival the
most meaningful of all and we follow her journey in making that happen. This is
also a universal story of empathy, ingenuity and neighborly love.
-What
is your favorite genre to read?
Historical fiction is my favorite genre. I consider myself kind of traditional, somebody with an old soul. It fascinates me to learn about how past people loved and lived.
Who
did you have in mind as you wrote Miya’s Mooncakes?
Miya’s
Mooncakes
was written for those that like to learn about other cultures and are
interested in the Mid-Autumn Festival. I also hope this book will spark a
discussion on what it means to be a good neighbor. It’s a story of empathy, ingenuity,
collaboration and friendship, so it has many universal, relatable angles.
What is your favorite children’s book?
Growing
up in Taiwan, we loved anything by Ghibli. I adore Totoro and Kiki’s
Delivery Service, and now my children do too!
I see some elements of Taiwan sprinkled throughout Miya’s Mooncakes. Do you think you’ll keep writing stories centered on Taiwan?
While this story does not specifically take place in
Taiwan, it’s clear they are a Taiwanese family if you observe the illustrations
closely. I also wrote two other picture books about Taiwan – Pei’s Pineapple
Cakes and Kai the Dancing Butterfly. I’d love to keep writing
stories about the Taiwanese American experience. I remember the lack of books
on this topic when I was growing up. I’m glad that now in my children’s
generation, there are more books they can see themselves in.
-What was the writing process for Miya’s Mooncakes like?
I wrote most of this story during an extended trip in
Singapore and Taiwan. I had the chance to visit many relatives and to taste an
abundance of mooncakes. In this book there are a number of Peranakan design
elements in the illustrations. That is directly influenced by my travels to
Singapore. I bring my laptop wherever I go so I can write whenever I feel
inspired. After the manuscript was completed, Allie Su, who was also in Taiwan
at the time, really brought the story to life with her illustrations.
-Mooncakes are anAsian dessert. What other Asian
desserts or snacks do you recommend?
I absolutely adore “muah ji” (Taiwanese mochis)
especially the peanut flavored ones. I also love Aiyu jelly, pineapple cakes,
durian ice cream, kaya toast and anything with matcha!
Allie Su grew up in Yunlin county, Taiwan. She often finds her illustration inspiration from the great outdoors. One of her favorite places to hike in Taiwan is Sun-Link-Sea Forest in Nantou. She adores Taiwanese cuisine and night market foods, such as stinky tofu, vegetarian noodles and taro pastries from Taichung. Allie also illustrated Mei's Mermaid Mission and Kai the Dancing Butterfly.
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